Firefighters go beyond serving

These firefighters were in a rush, but not to a fire. The group of about 20 was running in the Steamboat Classic, pushing Tammy Bryan in her wheelchair.

The group of about 20 was running in the Steamboat Classic, pushing Tammy Bryan in her wheelchair.

Tammy, 36, has Down syndrome, and she has become something of a fixture at races.

PATRICK OLDENDORF

These firefighters were in a rush, but not to a fire.

The group of about 20 was running in the Steamboat Classic, pushing Tammy Bryan in her wheelchair.

Tammy, 36, has Down syndrome, and she has become something of a fixture at races.

"Her dad and I started running, and she would wait at the finish line with whoever wasn't running in the race and cheer for all the runners," said Tammy's mother, Bonnie. "We decided she'd done enough cheering and she needed to be cheered for."

So about 10 years ago, Bonnie and her husband, Wayne, started pushing Tammy through the races in her wheelchair.

"We started with a 1-mile race, and now we do 5Ks, 10Ks and half-marathons," Bonnie said. "She doesn't let me push her, though. She thinks I'm too slow."

Last year the family started taking part in Team Steam. Another participant in the Illinois Valley Striders' training program is a firefighter who asked if he could push Tammy in the race Saturday. She couldn't have been happier.

"Everything went great," said Gary Norbom, a captain with the fire department. "Tammy did the whole four miles and had a blast, and the crowd was cheering for her, and she had a pretty good day."

"(She) had a T-shirt that (matched) the firefighters'," Bonnie said. "She also has red suspenders, fireman's pants and a Peoria Fire Department hat. She'll be decked out just like the firefighters."

A group of firefighters has run in the race since 2002 in memory of the firefighters who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

"The first year, we ran it in full gear and carried flags in memory of the firefighters who were killed on 9-11," Norbom said. "We only meant to do it one time, but then the race community and pretty much everybody involved didn't want to see it go away, so we've been doing it in some variation every year since."

The firefighters don't run the race in full gear every year but did in 2006 to mark their fifth year of participation and plan to do it in 2011 for their 10th.

Running with the fire department wasn't the only treat Saturday for the Bryan family.

They were presented with a check for $2,000 that will purchase a new wheelchair designed for racing.

The money was raised by Peoria firefighters in conjunction with Local 50 of the firefighters' union in a 72-hour period before the race.

"We came together to get her a custom wheelchair so she can do these races more safely," Norbom said. "I was pushing her down Hamilton, and my hands were pretty sweaty, so I can see the need for a new (wheelchair)."

"Talk about serving and protecting," he said. "That's service on a bended knee. We should be very grateful for having a group so dedicated to the community."

White also described Tammy as a "cornerstone for people who have become involved in (Illinois Valley Striders) programs.

"I think when the community sees Tammy and her parents, who endure and persevere to do what they do, I can only imagine that it invokes an emotional response inside people."

He also said Tammy is something of a beacon of light to runners of all ability levels.

"Whether (Wayne or Bonnie are) pushing Tammy or she's on the sidelines yelling, 'Pick it up,' you can't help but pick it up," White said. "I think that can only help motivate and inspire the people who are around her."

Patrick Oldendorf can be reached at 686-3196 or poldendorf@pjstar.com.